By James Stem, UTU National Legislative Director The Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (RSIA) was not all that rail labor wanted in a safety bill, but it was a good start, and contains much of what we have long sought. Work still needs to be done, including an end to limbo time, advance notice [...]
UTU to FRA: ‘Say no’ to Mexican safety checks
December 9, 2010
PTC: What it is, how it works
November 15, 2010
Los Angeles Metrolink — a 512-mile commuter rail system, which serves the Southern California counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernadino and Ventura — is moving to be the first railroad to install and implement a positive train control (PTC) system. PTC is collision avoidance technology that monitors and controls train movements remotely, can [...]
Lawmakers change; our mission does not
November 11, 2010
By James Stem,UTU National Legislative Director With the election over, change has come to Washington. Since 2001, the congressional political majority has shifted three times. New majorities are nothing new to our UTU legislative team. While most UTU-endorsed candidates were re-elected, we did lose friends with whom we had long and positive relationships. Thankfully, the [...]
UTU PAC: It’s about jobs, benefits, safety
October 21, 2010
UTU Michigan State Legislative Director Jerry Gibson knows the value of the UTU PAC in electing labor friendly lawmakers. He knows how to share those facts, also. UTU Local 1075 Secretary-Treasurer John Purcell says he and other members of his Trenton, Mich., local had “no clue of what the UTU PAC was. No one had [...]
UTU, BLET oppose NS Mich. lease deal
October 18, 2010
A Norfolk Southern sought lease of trackage to a newly created short line railroad in Michigan is being opposed by the UTU and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, which represent affected train and engine workers. The U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) is being asked by the UTU and the BLET to revoke an exemption [...]
We are monitoring bus-belt regulations
September 22, 2010
By Calvin StudivantAlternate vice president, Bus Department Newly manufactured motorcoaches would be required to have lap-shoulder seat belts – and older motorcoaches might be required to add them – under proposals from the U.S. DOT that are open for public comment. The federal proposals do not include city or school buses. Only a handful of [...]
OSHA affirms support for whistle-blowers
September 17, 2010
WASHINGTON – An official of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) this week affirmed the agency’s support for whistle-blower protection. OSHA enforces provisions of 19 laws protecting employees who report violations of various securities, trucking, airline, nuclear, pipeline, environmental, railroad, public transportation, workplace safety and health, consumer product safety, health care reform, and financial [...]
Rail safety concerns voiced by UTU members
July 19, 2010
Train and engine workers are the eyes and ears of railroads — the first to spot trouble, and the first to suffer when trouble occurs. On railroads, trouble too often means career-ending injuries and death. The UTU Rail Safety Task Force was created by UTU International President Mike Futhey to develop strategies to reduce rail-employee [...]
Rail Safety Alert No. 6
July 8, 2010
(The following is a security alert from the UTU’s Rail Safety Task Force.) Rail security remains a constant threat to the nation’s railroads and our members. President Futhey wrote of this concern in a recent leadership message, “We need training to spot trouble.” Based on recent events, the UTU’s Rail Safety Task Force strongly encourages [...]
